


Vermilion Azure

by Greeneyedsigma



Series: Her Name is Crocodile Universe [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Angst with a Happy Ending, Badass, Competent Buggy (One Piece), Depression, Drabble Fic, Emperor Shanks, F/M, Fear, Female Buggy, Genderbending, Grief/Mourning, Mutual Pining, Stubborn Shanks, Sweet love, They both have to do what's best for them, Warlord Buggy, Young Love, short fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:08:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29161647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greeneyedsigma/pseuds/Greeneyedsigma
Summary: *Female Buggy*After Roger's execution, Buggy and Shanks go their separate ways.Neither wants to, but they have to grow before they can come back together.Sometimes the best thing isn't the easiest
Relationships: Akagami no Shanks | Red-Haired Shanks/Buggy
Series: Her Name is Crocodile Universe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140695
Comments: 12
Kudos: 48





	1. Execution and Grief

**Author's Note:**

> This story exists in the same universe as my fic "Her Name is Crocodile"

The crowd was pressing in all around them, the noise of it a roar of sound, the sound overwhelming. Buggy stares up at Captain Roger, blue eyes wide. She doesn’t want to watch his execution, but can’t walk away. She knows Shanks is beside her, but she doesn’t look at him.  
  
They both stare resolutely at their captain (neither of them had stopped thinking of his as their captain, despite the fact that the crew had been disbanded) atop the execution scaffold. Shaking when he speaks his last words; “My treasure? My fortune is yours for the taking, but you’ll have to find it first. I left everything I own in the One Piece.”  
  
His grin is as fierce and bright as it always is, and Buggy feels the tears well up, spilling down her cheeks. Captain Roger looks down at the crowd, and Buggy hopes he sees them, takes some comfort in the knowledge that they’re there. Shanks wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight to his side. Neither of them looks away when it happens, both of them weeping.  
  
Shanks bows his head, his straw hat covering his eyes, and they both shrink away from the jubilant screams of the crowd.  
  
The mass is getting rowdy. Buggy tugs on Shanks’ arm, speaking through her sobs, “We have to leave, Shanks.” He nods, lips trembling. Grabbing tight hold of Buggy’s hand. She’s still so small, and Shanks worries about losing her in the sea of bodies. They weave through the crush of people, ignoring and being ignored by the faces they pass.   
  
They escape the crowd after five anxious minutes, onto a side street, and Shanks curses when he realizes that the tavern they’d rented a room at was on the opposite side of the square from where they’d come out.  
  
He starts walking, stopping abruptly when his feels Buggy’s hand slip out of his. “Bug?” She’s frozen, arms wrapped around herself, tears still pouring down her face. Shanks moves back to her, pulling her into a tight hug and she buries her face in his chest.  
  
“That really happened, didn’t it?” She whispers into the fabric of his shirt. “The Captain’s really gone.”  
  
“Yeah, Bug, he’s gone.” Shanks holds her even tighter.  
  
“What are we supposed to do? Crew’s disbanded, Rayleigh’s nowhere to be found.” She feels fragile in his arms, and he pets one hand down her silky, smooth ponytail.  
  
“We stick together,” he tells her, sounding much surer than he felt. Just knew he couldn’t lose her, too. “C’mon we better get moving before the crowd starts heading this way.”  
  
Buggy is completely silent when Shanks gets her up to their room. He watches her, worried, as she takes off her pants, pulls the hair tie out of her hair and crawls into the bed, wearing only her big loose button down and her undies. Shanks crouches down next to the bed, putting his hand on her shoulder. “You okay, Bug?”  
  
She shakes her head, “Can you lay with me?” She holds out her arms to him, lower lip wobbling dangerously.  
  
Shanks hesitates, they weren’t kids anymore, and Rayleigh had always been stern with Shanks about appropriateness when it came to what was and wasn’t okay as they both got older. But his hesitation passed, recognizing that she just wanted comfort. And he’d be an ass if he didn’t give her that at least. “Yeah, Bug, I’ll lay with you.”  
  
He settles down beside her, letting her wrap her arms around his middle. He runs his fingers through her hair, admiring the sky-blue strands and soothing her the way Rayleigh always had, feeling Buggy relax. He takes comfort from just holding her, trying not to think about the sight of his Captain’s head rolling.  
  
He stills when he feels her hot breath on his neck, and pulls away enough to look down at her. Her mouth in a pout, lips looking as red as her nose. She meets his eyes, and Shanks leans down and kisses her, answering her unspoken request.  
  
Shanks had kissed other girls before, but Buggy had always been kind of off limits to his mind. Even if he’d always wanted to. Rayleigh (who’d always been remarkably protective of the girl) had noticed immediately when Shanks started to touch Buggy (In that exploratory teenager, not quite realizing it wasn’t okay, way) Shanks liked cuddling with Buggy, liked curling up around her petite body, feeling her against him. And he found he really liked kissing her; her lips were soft and hot. They tasted like salt, probably from her tears, but also sweet.  
  
Their kiss is innocent, and ends as quickly as it starts. Buggy lays her cheek against his chest, her pretty blue eyes drowsy.  
  
—  
  
She misses Captain Roger. Misses Rayleigh. Misses the crew.

She has Shanks…but Shanks wants to return to the Grand Line. Sail the Line again.

Buggy’s terrified.

She’s seen it once before, knows that a new era is starting, of pirates wanting to claim the Captain’s treasure. To make it to Raftel.

“C’mon Buggy, sail with me! I won’t leave you behind.” He half yells the words, exasperated with the blue-haired girl, watches as she pulls away from him, retreating into herself. “You can’t hide from the world. You saw what was on Raftel, you know someone is going to have to reveal that to the world.”

Her eyes flash, some semblance of her old self showing through the fear, angry, “If it was for us to reveal, we would have done it the first time, Shanks!” She shrieks, standing up as tall as she could. Knows she doesn’t intimidate Shanks even a little, the top of her head only barely reaches the middle of his chest.

His grey eyes are furious, and he straightens up, towering above her. “It wasn’t the right time. You heard Captain, same as I did.” As quickly as he gets mad, it passes, and he reaches out to cradle Buggy’s face. “Come with me, Bug. I’ll become the Pirate King and you’ll be my queen.” His words are almost wistful, naïve even. 

He doesn’t get it, doesn’t understand that Buggy is terrified of going back. She doesn’t even understand what she’s feeling herself, how could he get it. “I won’t go back to the Grand Line, not now. Maybe not ever. I’m staying in the East Blue.”

She ignores the pain that lances through her heart, ignores the raw hurt that flashes across his face. “Don’t let my decisions stop you, Shanks. You don’t need me at your side to do what you want.”

“We’re supposed to stick together, Bugs.” He whispers, his hands dropping to his sides, his eyebrows drawn low over his eyes. His heart is pounding in his chest, and he looks down at her feeling miserable and furious. Her eyes are downcast, dark circles beneath them. He knows she isn’t sleeping very much, if at all, that the only time she sleeps is when she more or less passes out from exhaustion. Not to mention her almost non-existent appetite, a change from a normally hearty love of food.

He couldn’t just leave her to wallow in her misery, can’t just leave her side while she’s suffering in her grief.

But he also can’t stay here, in Rogue Town, in the East Blue. Feels like it would be an affront to Captain to not at least try and go back.

“We don’t have to.” Her words are soft, her frustration gone from her voice. They’d been joined at the hip for as long as they’d known each other; who was Buggy without Shanks? Who was Buggy without the Roger pirates? She closes her eyes, wants to learn the answer.

Shanks stares at her, disbelieving. Doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t want to say anything he might regret.

He just leaves, his coat billowing in the brewing storm, and his heart cracking.

Thunder roars. He can’t hear Buggy sob.

He doesn’t look back. 


	2. first meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a little look into Buggy's head. And the first time she and Shanks had ever met.

Leaving Rogue Town behind, Buggy felt adrift. Okay, yes, she was actually adrift, in a dinghy in the middle of the East blue. But emotionally... at a loss.   
  
It had been years, since the last time she’d been alone.   
  
Not since...well since after her parents had died. Both had very suddenly gotten sick and had died within a month. Ten-year-old Buggy had been left to her own devices, her parents house now hers, the odd shopkeeper willing to let her do a day’s work here and there for money or food.  
  
For a year she was on her own.   
  
Then one day, a pirate ship had docked in the small island’s harbour. Buggy had been helping to stock the shelves at the general store, mouth set stubbornly, the shop owner’s wife berating her while her husband had been outside, sorting the days shipment.   
  
She’d been an unpleasant woman; sweet as can be when her man was around, but as soon as he was out of sight and earshot, she liked to belittle everyone around her.   
  
And Buggy, who had no one to turn to, was her favourite target.   
  
“Useless, ugly little girl. Can you do anything right?” Buggy clenched her hands into fists. She wouldn’t be here if she had another choice, but the shop owner was always happy to pay her for a days work. If it meant having to put up with his shrew of a wife, Buggy would do it.   
  
Buggy just bit down on a venomous comment and kept putting stock out. She kept her head down when the door of the shop opened and three sets of footsteps entered. Buggy couldn’t help but peek.   
  
That was the first time she and Shanks had ever met eyes. Her age with red-hair and grey eyes, a friendly smile on his face. He was wearing a straw hat that seemed to big for his head and he was trailing behind the two men.   
  
The first man was much more eye catching, wearing his crimson coat, and his big black moustache. The second man, although he was blond, gave of the impression of being much more...not evil. That wasn’t the word she wanted. (Later, she’d know the word she wanted was intimidating. Because, well...it’s Rayleigh.)   
  
Both men headed up to the counter, greeting the cow politely. The cow had started sucking up, because they may have been pirates, but they had beris, that much was certain. Practically oozed a sense of wealth, but without the stink of arrogance.   
  
Buggy had been watching, perhaps a little captivated, hadn’t seen the cow glance at her, sure heard her though. Her ears were still ringing from the shrill tongue lashing she’d gotten.   
  
She had just stood up and left. Hadn’t even cared that she wouldn’t get paid, decided that the handful of berries wasn’t worth it.   
  
She hadn’t realized Shanks was following her. She was pissed off and wanted to cry at the same time. She tugged her headscarf off, ducking behind a tree just outside of town, on the way to her little house. She looked at the finely woven red and blue silk, the swirling patterns dazzling, with the fine silver thread outlining the shapes. It had been her mother’s, and now it was Buggy’s.   
  
“That’s a pretty scarf.” His first words to her had caused her to shriek and punch him right in the nose. It had been the first nose she’d ever broken; it also wouldn’t be the only time she broke his. “Ah, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean ta scare ya.” His hand is cupping his nose, his eyes watering from the pain and Buggy’s alarmed to see blood dripping from his fingers.   
  
“Are you okay?! ‘M sorry.” She pulls out her handkerchief, offering it to him, her lip wobbling and feeling all sorts of overwhelmed.   
  
“It’s fine, not the first time it’s ever happened.” He mops the blood off his face, grinning despite the pain he must have been in. “I’m Shanks. I wanted ta make sure you were A’right.”   
  
She stared at him confused, wondering what he meant. “Huh?”  
  
Shanks blinked at her, bewildered, “After that old broad yelled at’cha. Ya looked ready to start bawling when ya ran out of the shop.”   
  
Buggy’s lip had been wobbling dangerously at that point, and Shanks had look scared when she’d started crying. He’d given her an awkward pat on the shoulder, “Why not go tell yer ma and pa what she did?”  
  
“Don’t got a ma and pa anymore.” She dropped down next to the tree, legs hugged to her chest, her head buried in her arms.   
  
He left then, running back to the shop, where Captain Roger and Rayleigh were giving the shop owner a talking to about his wife’s behaviour.   
  
Buggy hadn’t known it at the time of course, she’d just known she was alone again. Had started crying in earnest then. Big, body-racking sobs.   
  
She didn’t know how much time had went by, “Hey now, no need for that.” A smooth, soothing voice. Her head jerked up. The dark, blond man was crouching in front of her, a kind look on his face. Shanks hovering at his side. “Your okay.” She didn’t know him, she didn’t know why Rayleigh had felt so safe to her, but she’d reached out for him. Sought comfort from a man who would end up being as close to her father as her real father.

Buggy wondered where he was now. He hadn’t been at Captain’s execution, and she hadn’t seen him since before the crew’s disbandment.

She missed everybody; Rayleigh and Shanks most of all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to kind of give a look at what Buggy 's feeling after being on her own.


	3. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like I said this one is going to be short

There was point after she left Rogue Town, where she decided she was tired of being sad. Somewhere between crying (again) about Shanks and being kinda pissed off, Buggy figured Captain wouldn’t want to see her wallowing and miserable. 

She met Cabaj and Mohji (and Richie) and they just sort of fell in together. Wrangling the two idiots, and eventually the rest of her crew, it got to the point where Buggy was starting to feel like her old self. 

It was by chance that the Buggy Pirates met up with the Red-Hair Pirates some ten years after captains execution. 

Buggy hadn’t expected it, had heard Shanks was stirring up trouble somewhere on the Grand Line, his bounty shooting up, determined to compete with Captain Roger. 

She had tried to stay out of his sight, didn’t want him to see her, didn’t want to rehash the last time they’d seen each other. 

When he’d left her in Rogue Town. Or when she’d made him leave her. (Maybe both, if she was honest.) 

She sighs, eyes downcast, anticipating Shanks’ peculiar brand of Drama. Or maybe she doesn’t know what to expect. 

Certainly, doesn’t expect him tackling her. Really doesn’t expect the fact that he has ONE ARM. 

“What the hell happened to your arm, Red-Hair?!” She shrieks, tugging at the empty sleeve of his shirt. He doesn’t answer, just drops his full weight down on her, his head tucked under her chin. She yelps, blushing because his weight on top of her feels...actually really nice. 

“Get off her!” Cabaj is there, grabbing Shanks by the back of his shirt, pulling him up enough that Buggy can wriggle out from underneath him. 

Shanks flails, but can’t catch his arm around the Buggy’s thin waist with only one arm. “Leggo!” The green-haired acrobat drops Shanks unceremoniously, once his captain is free. Buggy grumbles, because they’re both twenty-seven and he’s a wanted Grand Line Pirate, and yet he’s acting the same as always. 

Buggy tucks herself behind her first mate, unbearably nervous to actually interact with Him. He’s gotten even taller, a foot and a half taller than her at least. Not the she’d grown any. Still only five feet tall. 

“Buggy!” Shanks tries to get Cabaj out of the way, tries to scoot around him, but Cabaj keeps one arm back out and around Buggy. Shanks whines, like a puppy being denied his favourite toy. “Bugs, aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Shanks! The hell are you doing harassing that little girl?!” Okay, ouch. She was a full-grown woman. She glanced down; her small breasts defined in her tight tank-top. She also knew for a fact that she had a damn nice ass. 

“Oi! Watch who your calling little girl, old man!” She pokes her head out from behind Cabaj avoiding Shanks grasping hand, meeting the eyes of the Dark-haired man who had called out. He was a few years older than her and Shanks, thirty or so. “I’m short, not pre-pubescent.” 

“And you’ve got a great ass!” Shanks tells her, finally succeeding in shoving poor Cabaj out of the way, using his conquerors Haki to keep him down.

Buggy barely notices, still incensed by the comment, “I do!” 

“And beautiful legs!” Shanks croons, drawing closer. 

“Beautiful legs!” Buggy hadn't even thought of her legs. They were nicely shaped, long for her height, and nicely tanned. 

“And the most gorgeous, sky blue hair, that always smells like flowers.” He has his arm curled around her, back hunched so he could bury his nose in her hair. 

Buggy notices this, her face slowly turning the same shade of red as her nose. The man, Benn, stomps forward to grab Shanks by the scruff of his neck. “Quit being a creep, Shanks!” 

Buggy almost protests when Shanks is yanked away, but she holds back, instead turning to go help Cabaj to his feet. She can feel Shanks gaze boring into her, but he wasn’t using his conquerors haki. He’d never use it against her. 

“Buggy, can we talk?” Benn has put him on his feet, and he’s glowering over her head at Cabaj, who’s just about shaking in his boots. 

Buggy sighs, her mouth pursed as she looks back up at him. “Fine. For a few minutes.” 

His haki flairs and she sighs again. No restraint. “Alone.” Cabaj looks at her, helpless, turning to head back to the ship. Shanks curls his arm back around her, leading her away from the centre of the small town. 

“I found Rayleigh.” Is the first thing he tells her, and she jerks her head up to meet his eyes, waiting. “Saboady Archipelago. Got himself a wife. Been coating ships for a few years now.” 

“He’s doing okay then?”

“Yeah. Says he misses you. Told me to tell you where to find him...for if you ever went back to the Grand Line.” 

She drops her head back down, doesn’t want to see the look in Shanks eyes, suddenly feeling like she was sixteen again. And she can hear his voice in her head, ‘Come with me, Bug. I’ll become Pirate King and you’ll be my Queen.’ A part of her still wanted to take him up in his offer. Shanks brings her to a small courtyard behind several buildings. 

“I missed you, Bugs.” He tells her sitting down on a stone bench, grasping her hand in his. “Didn’t realize it was possible to miss someone that much, ya’know?”

Buggy notices her hands are trembling, Shanks notices it to, pulling her close. So, she’s standing between his legs. (She isn’t even mad that she’s only just taller than him like this. She just feels safe.) “I might know.” She grips his wrist with her free hand. She hates to admit it aloud, but tells him, “I guess I missed you, too.” 

His grin returns, and she regrets telling him almost immediately. Except then he’s tugging her down enough so he can kiss her. Maybe she was waiting for it, (another thing she’d never admit out loud.) 

His mouth on hers was familiar and Buggy welcomes it. Pulling her hand out of his, she wraps her arms around his neck, opening her lips when his tongue prodded them. She suckles his tongue, lightly and he pulls back. His eyes are wide, like he thinks she still the same, innocent sixteen-year-old he’d left in Rogue Town. 

She grins when she sees the jealous flash in his gaze, eyes narrowed. “What?” Her tone is teasing, and Shanks growls.

“Who?” His voice is dangerous, but Buggy isn’t intimidated, just amused. 

“You really wanna know?” She whispers, leaning down to lick the shell of his ear. His jealous, possessive rage falters and his hand grips her hip tightly. 

She can practically feel his eyes narrow further, and she smirks when he decides against asking. Her smirk drops when he stands abruptly, hefting her into his shoulder. He carries her _through the town_ backup the harbor, where he carries her aboard the Red Force and into his cabin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then they got it. ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Will only be 5-10 chapters, and will be updated much less often then my main fic. 
> 
> Let me know what you think and if there is anything you'd like to see.


End file.
